Illinois Secures $1.04 Billion for Broadband Expansion to 350,000 Sites by 2031
Updated
Updated · KFVS · Aug 25
Illinois Secures $1.04 Billion for Broadband Expansion to 350,000 Sites by 2031
2 articles · Updated · KFVS · Aug 25
Summary
$1.04 billion in newly approved federal BEAD funding will let Illinois extend high-speed internet service to about 350,000 homes, businesses and community institutions by 2031.
The approval ends nearly a year of review after the state filed its application in September 2025, a delay that officials said had stalled hundreds of planned construction projects.
Connect Illinois had already backed projects reaching more than 20,000 households and businesses, and the new federal award deepens that existing statewide buildout.
Combined with earlier state funding and private investment, Illinois expects total broadband infrastructure spending tied to the effort to top $2 billion.